Embodiments of the invention relate generally to devices for providing an automatic response to a telephone call, such as for a wireless device.
Cellular mobile telephony, or wireless telephony, provides voice data links between users of mobile devices and fixed devices on a network. It gives users using a wireless phone or other wireless device mobility without regard to how they are actually connected to the network. This is done by providing access points or base station units that can hand off the connections of mobile devices without interruption of the service. 2G (second-generation) digital mobile phone service such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), EIA/TIA-136 Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), TIA-IS-95 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and the AMPS (analog mobile phone service) are examples of such telephone networks.
Wireless devices are continually increasing in popularity as their utility increases and as their disadvantages, such as cost and quality of the wireless connection, decrease. Wireless phones in particular have become very common, and owners of the wireless phones often carry these phones with them most of the time. Wireless phones typically have two states—on or off. When the phone is turned on, the wireless phone will ring or vibrate when an incoming call is received. When the phone is turned off, there is typically a voice mail capability that allows the caller to leave a voice mail message for the wireless phone owner.
As wireless phones become more and more ubiquitous, the backlash against them is increasing in intensity. Much of this backlash is based on the intrusiveness that wireless phones can cause. Wireless phones are especially intrusive when a ringer goes off in a public place, such as a theater, restaurant, bus, or other public facility. Moreover, many people become annoyed when others conduct conversations on their wireless phones in these public places, as these conversations often are loud and disruptive.
Many people turn off their wireless phones when in public places and rely on their voice mail to respond to calls in order to prevent interfering with others. However, this may result in the accumulation of a large number of voice mail messages. Moreover, many wireless phone plans do not include voice mail. Another option would be for a wireless phone user to change their outgoing message on their voice mail to inform callers that they are temporarily in a public place and cannot take the call. However, it is relatively complicated to change an outgoing message, and many users do not desire to change their outgoing message each time they go out to eat, go to a restaurant, etc. It would be desirable to be able to reduce the time and/or effort, and improving the experience, associated with responding to a call when users are in a public place or other location where answering the phone may be problematic.
In the drawings, the same reference numbers identify identical or substantially similar elements or acts. To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the Figure number in which that element is first introduced, e.g., element 102 is first introduced and discussed with respect to FIG. 1.
Note that the headings provided herein are for convenience and do not necessarily affect the scope or interpretation of the invention.